Cataract Screening & Surgery

If the visual impairment from the cataract is affecting the patient’s ability to perform his occupation and activities of daily living e.g. driving, reading, watching tv. You would need to be fully evaluated in the clinic by an eye doctor before the surgery.

Cataract surgery is now performed through a very small incision (2.2 – 2.7mm) using ultrasound energy. It is not a laser procedure and is done under local anesthesia and the recovery is very fast. Patients do not need to stay overnight in hospital and can return quickly to activities of daily living soon after surgery.

Refractive errors and presbyopia (lao hua yen) can be corrected during cataract surgery.

At the time of cataract surgery you can take away your high myopia, astigmatism, hyperopia and even presbyopia. It depends on the type of lenses chosen. The aim in cataract surgery nowadays is not only to improve the vision but also to decrease spectacles dependence.

Lenses available at our clinic include:

1. Monofocal intraocular lenses
2. Toric intraocular lenses
3. Multifocal intra-ocular lenses/ Trifocal lenses

Please contact us for an appointment with one of our doctors to discuss your suitability for each kind of lenses.

Complications

The most common complication is that of a rupture of the membrane keeping the vitreous gel at the back of the eye from coming to the front. This is called posterior capsule rupture and the incidence is about 1%.

The most feared complication is that of infection, known as endophthalmitis. Bacteria may enter the eye during surgery and grow causing severe inflammation within the eye. Fortunately it is very rare. The risk is 1 in 6,000 to 10,000 cataract surgeries.

No. However, some patients may experience blurred vision months to years after cataract surgery. This may be because of posterior capsule opacification.This can easily be treated with a one-time application of a laser. The procedure is called a YAG laser capsultotomy.